"Forget it if you don't have it. This meal isn't a big deal." He said it casually, but her pretty eyebrows frowned. She was afraid that this man was often too busy to have time for meals.
When she lived in the Presidential Palace, there were many servants in the house, so she didn't pay attention to these things.
"Wait here for a while. I'll go cook some noodles." Xia Xingchen said as she took off her coat and hung it on the hanger beside her. She naturally took his windbreaker and hung it on the hanger as well. She turned back and said to him, "It will be quick. Sit down and watch TV for a while."
"I've only eaten the dumplings you made, but I haven't tried the noodles yet." He didn't refuse.
"My cooking skills are pretty good." Xia Xingchen said as she walked to the kitchen. While boiling water, she took out her apron and put it on. She then took out an egg from the refrigerator, cracked it into a bowl, and stirred it with chopsticks, her movements skillful.
Bai Yeqing turned on the TV and leaned back on the sofa.
There were entertainment variety shows on TV. The Ministry of Culture had made some big moves recently. Bai Yeqing took a look and found that each show was not vulgar and varied. It seemed that the moves were effective. He switched the TV to the military channel, but the reports on the military channel were very trivial and only for the public to watch. He was not interested in watching them.
In the kitchen, the sounds of pots and pans were soon heard, and his attention was drawn to that place.
The kitchen door was closed, and only from the window could one see her busy figure. Bai Yeqing felt that these sounds were much more interesting than those things in the show, and made him feel very warm and a little... satisfied...
In the past, in the Presidential Palace, he would hardly set foot in the kitchen unless it was a special situation. Even if there was a sound, he would only feel it was noisy, and never felt like this at this moment.
This week, when she was not in the Presidential Palace, he felt that the whole palace had become lifeless.
Every night when he got home, he would stop at her door subconsciously. But he knew very well that there was no one in that room.
She was really quick. In less than ten minutes, she came out of the kitchen with noodles. There was a golden fried egg on the noodles, and a circle of green onions was sprinkled around it.
"You can eat onions, right?" Xia Xingchen just remembered this question.
"Yeah." Bai Yeqing walked to the dining table and sat down. Xia Xingchen took off her apron and put it in the kitchen.
When he came out, he was eating with gusto. Xia Xingchen looked at him with satisfaction.
I originally thought that he would not be able to get used to eating these simple foods, but it seems that he has a good ability to adapt.
"What are you standing for?" Bai Yeqing raised his eyes and met her gaze. He nodded at the chair opposite him and said, "Sit down."
Xia Xingchen sat opposite him, "How do you think it tastes?"
He looked at her, and there was anticipation in her eyes. He raised his lips, took a big bite elegantly, and then said, "You are not bragging."
She smiled, her eyebrows and eyes curved. Under the light, her eyes were shining with tiny fragments of light, like the trickling of a stream, quiet and peaceful; or like the stars in the night, shining and dazzling.
Very charming.
Bai Yeqing stared at her, his eyes dark. It was not until she stopped smiling, feeling a little uncomfortable, that he put away the dark light in his eyes and said calmly, "Logically speaking, you come from a good family, but you seem to be very skilled in cooking."
"It's not like I was born into a good family. Although my grandmother was born into a wealthy family, she fell into poverty later on. My father was unsuccessful in the officialdom and had just divorced my mother. He was in a very depressed state. There had to be someone in the family to do the housework. I learned how to do these things back then, but I became more and more proficient after Dabai was born." Xia Xingchen seldom mentioned the bad things in her past to others, but it was so natural when she talked about it with Bai Yeqing.
Bai Yeqing's eyes fell on the bookshelf in the living room, "Is that your mother in the photo?"
"Yeah." Xia Xingchen turned around and took a look.
"I've never heard you mention it before." She was a very graceful woman, and she seemed to have a very gentle and nice personality.
She looked disappointed. "… She and my dad have been divorced for many years. She has started a new life now. I heard that she is living a good life. So, there is nothing to mention."
"I heard?" Bai Yeqing pondered over these two words.
She nodded, speaking in a sad tone, "Since she got married, my father has not allowed her to see me and has blocked all possible contact between us. Later, when I was sensible enough and had the ability to contact her, I didn't dare to contact her... I was always afraid of ruining her life. However, she will be turning 50 soon, and if possible... I want to take the children to see her quietly."
Bai Yeqing could feel the sad atmosphere around her. She looked so distressing that he wanted to hold her in his arms and comfort her. However, in the end, he just nodded quietly and did not express his opinion.
It seems that her life has not been good in the past 20 years...
His eyes softened a little, and he continued chatting with her casually, wanting to know more about her. "You don't look much like your parents, and you don't look like the guy I met last time..."
"Xia Xingkong."
"Well, you two don't look alike either. Not only do your faces look alike, but your personalities are also very different." Bai Yeqing frowned when mentioning Xia Xingkong.
Xia Xingchen couldn't help laughing when he recalled the last time he scared Xia Xingkong in the Presidential Palace. He still felt relieved when he thought about it now.
"What are you laughing at?" Bai Yeqing raised his eyes to look at her. Her smile was very contagious, and his expression suddenly became much better.
"Nothing." She shook her head, glanced at her wrist, and straightened her face. "Hurry up and eat. It's getting late. If we leave now, it will be almost 12 o'clock when we get back to the Presidential Palace. We won't be able to sleep for a few hours."
Her words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, and his face suddenly darkened. Xia Xingchen didn't know how she had offended him, anyway, he had always been so moody.
He ate very slowly. He finished the meal only when it was all mushy. There was not a single drop left.
Xia Xingchen took the dishes to the kitchen to wash them. She didn't dare to urge him anymore after he looked at her in such a disapproving way. While washing the dishes, she heard him making a phone call outside, probably to Leng Fei, asking them to go back first.
It was so late, and he went back to the Presidential Palace alone. Xia Xingchen was worried about his safety.
After cleaning up and wiping her hands, she came out and was about to say something when Bai Yeqing stopped in front of her and asked, "Do you have a new towel and toothbrush?"
"Ah?" She was stunned.
"Ah what? Toiletries."
"... Yes, yes." Xia Xingchen looked at him, "You... are not planning to sleep here, are you?"
"I think what you said makes a lot of sense, so I'll stay tonight as you wish."